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If 4600 is being converted to electric, would it remain at Tamworth or could we see it potentially move elsewhere?

It's moving to Leicester to be evaluated against the Electroliners (according to what I read in an article earlier).

Quite a few 19 plate Levante 3s for sale, while there are 2s. As old as 65 plate still in us with NX and contractors, sure there's probably a good reason why

Most of them would have originally been on 5-year Operating Leases.

Then you haven't seen the worst of it. One time I was on the 4 and I had a lesson at college for 9am, managed to make it at 10am despite getting the 7.21 bus from the city centre. Tbf was only a one time thing and most of the time doesn't bother me but some days it can be very bad.

I drive that way every weekday morning at around 8AM in a Coach.

Not much has changed then! Was like this when I used to get the 37 from Acocks Green to Solihull back in 2008-2012!

It's not that bad - it's just slow moving but at least it's moving! It's the Dovehouse Lane and Grange Road junctions onto Warwick Road coupled with the crossing lights that cause it. 

Between olton library and where the traffic lights that turn onto the A41

Between Olton and Seven Star Road? Yes this is normal. It's just slow moving traffic - not actually standstill. Happens every day.

Clearly not if drivers for the 11C are parking at the exact same spot as where 11A drivers park

11Cs terminate on Fox Hollies Road and then proceed to the Fox Hollies Island to turn around and then commence 11A on Westley Road. The same point is used as a driver changeover (after a certain time) plus waiting time to depart. The 72 is also changed over at Westley Road after a certain time - I bet you didn't know that! 

This is what causes the frustrating bunch up of buses.

Is that just for the Sunday and evening service though? The lowest bid of £2000 a week for 7 days seems ridiculously low otherwise.

How it works is you cost the operation up, add a profit margin and then minus expected fare revenue. If the service doesn't meet the expected fare revenue that TfWM states in the Tender Specification, it will eat into your profit and may even bring you into a loss. These contracts aren't totally subsidised by TfWM - the operator takes a risk with fare revenue. 

The example you've given at £2000 per week might well be a service that's well used and takes decent fare revenue or its cost of operation is relatively low - possibly 1 driver and low mileage. I haven't looked at it so do not know.

Something that's hit operators is the Autumn Budget. If I recall correctly, operators submitted the tenders before the Budget was announced. So the winning bidders would have based their tender price on the old 13.8% Employers NI contribution rather than the increased 15% which kicks in from April 2025.

The cost of leasing E200MMCs isn't cheap either - they cost around £700 per week. 

For both the 150 and 169, I'd 'reverse' the loop they currently do around Kings Heath.

At present, the 150 terminates at and starts from the Addison Road stop on Alcester Rd South, before going left onto Vicarage Road, then left again onto Howard Road, finally turning right back onto Alcester Rd South towards Maypole.

The 169 does the same loop on arriving in Kings Heath, before terminating at that same Addison Road stop. From there it turns right into Addison Road towards Billesley.

If they both went the other way round, and then terminated/started from Vicarage Road (same stop as the 27/35/76), I feel that would be more beneficial to intending passengers heading towards Billesley/Yardley Wood/Shirley/Maypole especially those waiting at the existing 50 and 11A/27/76 stops on Addison Road, thus picking up more passengers as a result. Rather than being 'isolated' on their own the other side of the road by Sainsburys.

Might need a few tweaks to the timetables to avoid 'bus blocking' at that stop on Vicarage Road. To be honest, I can't see the point of the 35 stopping there anyway, not when the next stop is literally just around the corner, though it seems this is where drivers do their change-over.

What if both services were merged into one? No looping required then?

I know it's a February change, but just spotted the one for the Yew Tree 67 / Gillity Village 74.

Interesting one. Didn't one of the short lived MRN post de reg services operate along that section of Walstead Road?

Thought there was a weight limit?

If you're talking about Walstead Road over the bridge over Rushall Canal, I've been over that a few times in a Coach. 

It has a 18t weight limit. 

Someone was in fantasy land with some of the "highest bids" !

At first thought, I assumed it was the annual figures, but that wouldn't make sense either!

Big congratulations to Carolean. Very good to see another growing independent!

Looks like major disruption for the X21/22 in 2025 if this is happening?
"In addition to this both services will use Bristol Road, Edgbaston Park Road, Pritchatts Road in both directions due to full closure of Edgbaston Park Road from January 6th to March 25th".

The closure on one network seems to be listed for July though so maybe postponed?

https://www.tfwm.org.uk/media/n0bo5dfl/7-and-19-12-24.pdf
https://one.network/

It's been postponed to take place during School Summer Holidays.

The most logical way I can see is TfWM purchase all the depots/land, allocate routes to depots and then award the operation of depots to the cheapest bidder.

Has Diamond's Tividale depot been discussed in any of these TfWM meetings?

These 03 Geminis sound amazing as well, very hard to believe that these are 21 years old.

I can vouch for the drive on them. Definitely quality vehicles.

hand Dorridge to the railway then ?
A3 hourly until 14.30 how do you get back home ? (Train)
188 Hourly pathetic
people will just switch to Rail as the frequency is better

It's hourly at the moment. It looks like Bentley Heath will be getting 2 buses an hour over the 1 bus per hour it gets at the moment... have I misunderstood this?